Two Montana men were indicted last month by a federal grand jury in Alaska on counts related to their illegal killing and transport of a brown bear on a national wildlife refuge in May 2022.

Richard McAtee, 46, and Arlon Franz, 51, were indicted by the U.S. District Court of Alaska grand jury on July 17 on one count of conspiracy and two counts of violating the Lacey Act, which prohibits trafficking of unlawfully taken wildlife.

According to their indictment and a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Alaska, the killing and transportation of the bear happened between May 9 and May 12, 2022.

One of the men – the indictment does not specify which – was hunting as a nonresident without a contract with a master guide, which is illegal in Alaska, according to the release.

They shot the brown bear in the Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge before the legal season had opened and on the same day he had been in a plane – all violations of state and federal laws, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The indictment alleges McAtee and Franz salvaged the hide in the field and took it to a hunting lodge, then to Port Moller and on to Anchorage.

McAtee was arrested on Wednesday in Kalispell and made his first court appearance in a U.S. District Court of Montana courtroom. Court records show he is set to appear at an arraignment and detention hearing in Anchorage on Aug. 27.

The federal government has motioned to quash a subpoena for Franz because he has been in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and agreed to appear at an arraignment, according to court filings.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $100,000 fine if the men are convicted on all three counts.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, and the U.S. Forest Service are investigating the case.

Blair Miller is a Helena-based reporter. The Daily Montanan is a nonprofit newsroom.

Families across the country have long benefited from the ability to attend a public charter school if they determined that was the best option for their children. Montana parents, however, have been stymied until recently when lawmakers finally stepped up. The Montana Legislature in 2023 passed two charter options for public education – HB 562 and HB 549. HB 562, the Community Choice Schools Act, is one of the strongest charter school laws in the country.

Public charter schools, called “Choice Schools” under Montana’s unique framework, are tuition-free public schools that are publicly funded but independently run. Choice Schools are granted flexibility from traditional public school regulations to build a learning environment and curriculum that fits the needs of their students. Choice Schools are subject to a contract that includes ongoing general government supervision, performance monitoring, and oversight. If Choice Schools don’t perform, they will be closed.

As they have done in nearly every state that has voted to launch public charter schools, the education establishment has sued to prevent implementation of HB 562 and deny families this important option.

This is why our organizations joined together to file an amicus brief in the case of Felchle v. Montana, to defend Choice Schools as an option for Montana families.

It’s abundantly clear that Montana’s Community Choice Schools Act (CCSA) is constitutional, consistent with charter school programs in other states, and will enable quality public education options for students. This is why we’re asking the court to uphold the Community Choice Schools Act and preserve this opportunity for Montana communities to expand the local public education system with student-centered Choice Schools.

Our amicus brief emphasizes three key points:

Constitutionality: The CCSA properly acknowledges the requirement in the Montana Constitution for the Board of Public Education to exercise “general supervision” over Choice Schools.

Consistency: The CCSA’s framework is consistent with the understanding of constitutional requirements for state board supervision of charter schools in other states.

Quality: The data on similar schools in other states, including research from Stanford University, demonstrates that Choice Schools will provide equality of educational opportunity and offer a quality education to Montana students.

We conclude our legal brief by noting: “For over three decades, children across the country have attended public charter schools and became more successful students because of it. Charter schools have a clearly demonstrated positive effect on their students and the data continues to show a positive upward trend, even in states where the charter law contains broad exemptions from state laws and regulations. Based on this data, Montana’s Choice Schools will provide a quality education because they follow a model that has led to academic quality in other states.”

For example, neighboring Idaho has more than 70 charter schools and a new law was passed this year that makes them easier to operate. Discussing Idaho’s charter schools, Kimberly School District Superintendent Luke Schroeder recently said: “You have to look at education for your entire community, not just your district. It’s human nature to be competitive, but we’ve got to put our egos aside and see what’s best for kids … At the end of the day, we just can’t be territorial about education.”

We believe that equality of educational opportunity guaranteed to all students by Montana’s Constitution means an all of the above approach – traditional public schools, choice schools, private schools, micro-schools, homeschooling, and more. We’re hopeful that Montana judges will agree. Allowing families more education options shouldn’t be a controversial idea. Montanans have waited long enough.

The busy Montana summer is officially half over, but the second half is just as packed with fun events as the first. (FYI, August 6th is the official midpoint of summer, date-wise.) Markets, concerts, classes, and community events pack this week in the Bozeman area. Many events are absolutely free.

Tuesday, August 6th – National Night Out in Bozeman: (Bozeman Pond, east of The Mall) Happening 5pm to 8pm. “National Night Out is a free, fun-filled, family-friendly annual event that brings neighborhoods, businesses, and public safety agencies together to promote a positive partnership.” Hands-on equipment demonstrations and tours, Balloon twisting by 406 Cirque, Face painting by Art with Bonnie, Food by Double T Catering, Shaved ice by Tropical Sno (all free to first 300 in attendance!)

The Bozeman Police Department is hosting this event, with the following departments and organizations being on-site for the event:
⭐️ Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office
⭐️ Bozeman Fire Department
⭐️ Montana State University Police Department
⭐️ Belgrade Police Department
⭐️ Montana Highway Patrol
⭐️ United States Forest Service
⭐️ Special Response Team
⭐️ Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
⭐️ Billings Clinic Bozeman
⭐️ Lifeflight
⭐️ American Medical Response
⭐️ Bozeman Health Injury Prevention
⭐️ Heart of the Valley

Tuesday, August 6th – Bozeman Farmers’ Market: (Lindley Park on East Main) Happening 5pm to 8pm. Free and open to the public. Live music, performances, and the incredibly popular farmers’ markets that has be voted “Best THING in Bozeman”. Local growers, farmers, and artisans. (Runs Tuesdays through September 10th)

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Thursday, August 8th – Bozeman Music on Main: (Downtown Bozeman on Main Street) Free and open to the public. Kids activities start at 6:30pm. Live music from Float Like a Buffalo runs from 7pm to 8:30pm. Many food vendors will line 2 blocks of Main Street. (Open container waiver for beverages purchased on-site from 6pm to 9pm only.) No dogs and no backpacks, please.

Thursday, August 8th – Music in the Mountains: (Big Sky Meadow) Starts at 6pm. Family friendly and free to the public. Happens at Len Hill Park in the Big Sky Town Center. No dogs, no glass containers. Music from MOTH and Doom Flamingo.

Thursday, August 8th – Saturday, August 10th – Rockin’ the Rivers: (Three Forks) Three day rock festival featuring Smash Mouth, Stone Temple Pilots, The Wallflowers, Hinder, Smile Empty Soul, Hoobastank. Car Camping/Overnight Parking Available for daily use. Single day passes or three day passes available.

Friday, August 9th – Downtown Bozeman ArtWalk: (Main Street, downtown) Happening 6pm to 8pm at various galleries and shops. Most serve wine and light apps. Free and open to the public. Live music will be on Main Street along the way.

Friday, August 9th – Indigikitchen Cooking Class: A Recipe for Resilience: (Museum of the Rockies) Happening 5pm to 7:30pm at the Tinsley House. Registration required, $75/person. “Mariah Gladstone is leading a food movement to revive these important foods and incorporate them into modern diets. In a cooking class led by Mariah Gladstone, you can learn to harvest, prepare, and enjoy a full meal of authentic indigenous recipes.”

Friday, August 9th & Saturday, August 10th – Bridger BrewGrass: (at Bridger Brewing in Three Forks) 2 nights of world class bluegrass acts. Doors at 6pm, music at 7pm both nights. Music from Leftover Salmon + Railroad Earth + Yonder Mountain String Band, The Infamous String Dusters + Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway. GA and VIP tickets available. Outdoor venue at Bridger Brewing. Additional food trucks will be on site.

Saturday, August 10th – Gallatin Valley Farmers’ Market: (Gallatin County Fairgrounds) Happening from 9am to Noon. “One Dollar or More at the Door” to get in. Over 150 vendors at this excellent, classic Farmers’ Market. Happens every Saturday through September 14th.

Saturday, August 10th – Big Gay Float Day: (Lower Madison River/Montana Whitewater) Meet at Montana Whitewater (1110 W Main Street) at 11am to catch the shuttle, get a tube. Tickets are $25 or pay what you can. Shuttle is 18+. No need to RVSP if you’ll meet us there. California Corner to Black’s Ford.

Saturday, August 10th & Sunday, August 11th – Used Book Sale: (Gallatin County Fairgrounds – Building 3) Saturday 9am to 3pm, Sunday Fill-a-Bag Sale Noon to 4pm. (Friday is open to members only of the Friends of the Bozeman Public Library.)

Saturday, August 10 – Beetlejuice Roller Derby Bout (2 games): (Haynes Pavillion) Starts at 5:30pm, 2nd bout at 7:30pm. Gallatin Roller Derby takes on Team Montana and Electric City Roller Derby. Games start at 5:30 and 7:30pm. Family friendly, kids under 10 get in free. Costumes encouraged! Doors open at 5pm. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door.